


they're just old light

by sandyk



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Jewish Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: February in Vermont might be horrible, but then again it's May and Peter and Ned and MJ, so it's actually pretty nice.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	they're just old light

**Author's Note:**

> not mine, no profit garnered. title from regina spektor's samson. thanks a!!! for the trope bingo spot "huddled for warmth."

"And, like, I remember my mom lighting a menorah at Hanukkah, I guess, I definitely remember being at the kids service for High Holy Days and learning to chant the four questions in Hebrew at Passover," Peter said, staring at the array of screwdrivers in front of him. 

"But it was just my mom who was Jewish, so after my parents died - you know. Ben and May go, they both went to this church a few blocks away from our old apartment. But, like, they weren't monsters. They took me to the same sunday school I used to go, but it was actually in Brooklyn. And then it was too expensive. And they used to take me to HIgh Holy Days and kinda drop me off? But when I was eleven, I was like, this is just too much work for you. So, like, when I was twelve and thirteen I went to a Jewish summer camp? But I wasn't getting a Bar Mitzvah, so it was just, like, pointless."

"So that was the answer to how was your Christmas," Tony said. "So you don't celebrate Christmas?"

"Oh, May does and I do sort of, because she's my Aunt. She still goes to that church, she's there all the time. They're not one of the churches that give churches a bad name - they don't hate people. They have a pastor who's a trans man. He's super cool. He came by the apartment a bunch of times after Ben died to help May."

"Fascinating," Tony said. He actually looked interested which had to be an act. Peter had been seriously babbling. Then Tony said, "My dad's mother was probably Jewish. We think. People came to America, they did what they could to fit in, because oh, no, oh no, please don't pogrom us! Tale as old as time."

Peter smiled. "Also MJ figured out I'm Spider-man." 

"That's why you told me your entire religious history," Tony said, smirking. 

Peter grimaced. "She figured it out," he said. He heard the whine in his voice. "She's really smart. And observant. Maybe obsessed with me? No, I think she likes me as a friend. As a friend."

"Cool," Tony said. "That's not cool at all, kid, who else is gonna figure you out? Your teacher, your grocer, your candlestick maker?"

"I don't have a candlestick maker," Peter said.

A guy from May's cool church had convinced her to go to Vermont. In February. Unbelievably bad idea, in Peter's estimation. But May really wanted to go and she wanted him to go so he said yes. Church made May happy, the people were super nice and supportive. May had real friends there and she went to protests with them and volunteered. May kept saying, "You are totally okay skipping the morning Bible study, I bet half the people coming will do the same. But Lowell is a botanist and he goes hiking all the time. We'll get out in nature, it'll be beautiful."

"Sounds awesome," Ned said. He was playing video games with Peter so he'd heard the pitch Peter had already agreed to. 

"You can come," May said. She leaned over and patted Ned's back. "If your parents are okay with it."

Ned's parents were okay with it and somehow May invited MJ, too. Peter didn't ask about May's communications with MJ that had nothing to do with him, but he kinda feared it. 

So Peter, MJ, and Ned were in a warm enough cabin getting ready to hike in the biting cold and snow. Ned was also freaking out. "I read this thing about spiders --"

"Ned," Peter said. "I'm not a spider. I'm a person."

"One percent of your DNA is spidery," Ned said. "Mr. Stark did those tests."

"Point seven eight," Peter said. He put on the hat May had bought for him with the flaps covering his ears. "Not one percent, point seven eight. I'm not a spider. And I can handle the cold."

"You should still put on gloves and scarves, dude," MJ said. She was already wrapped in wool and a puffy coat. 

"I am," Peter said. He didn't mean to whine, but he wasn't a baby. Ned gave him mittens with the little tops that you could move off. They were really cute. 

By the time Ned had finished plying Peter with scarves, vests and gloves, Peter felt like the baby from the Simpsons in her star suit she couldn't even toddle in. He was definitely whining. 

He stopped when they were outside and Lowell the botanist waved him over to their group. "It's so cool you guys are doing this with your spring break," Lowell said. 

"No, it's really not," MJ said. "Good thing these two are nowhere near cool."

Ned said, "I'm a little cool."

Lowell grinned, May joined them and off they went. 

MJ said, "Is this like the movie where the bear attacked Leo? Are we that far out? Don't you think Leo sort of deserved it? He was in the bear's territory."

Lowell patiently explained the kind of bears they might see and what the movie got wrong, what most movies got wrong. He was actually not a bad teacher. May asked a lot of questions, too. He was always happy when May was happy. 

It was a weird quiet out in the woods. Peter could hear movement from animals and rustling wind and even snow falling. He thought it might be snow falling. Everything sounded different from Queens. 

So much white, too, all the shades in the snow and sky. Also brown, green, grey. MJ and Ned looked really happy, too. 

"Also, Ned, I'd like you to notice how much I'm not, like, hibernating or whatever," Peter said softly. 

"Are you sure you're not one percent hibernating?" MJ said. "Or point seven eight hibernating?"

"I'm not any percent hibernating," Peter hissed. 

When they got back to the cabin, it took Peter at least ten minutes to get all his layers off. So he was last to the big lodge where everyone was. "I'm huddling for warmth," Peter said, squeezing against May. "Meaning you."

May hugged him. "You're late, kid, MJ already got in." MJ was pressed in on May's other side. 

"I'm toasty," MJ said. "I got Ned on the other side, too."

May said, "But you're my favorite, Peter. Between you and MJ, you're my favorite."

"What about Ned? What about Ned?" Peter said, mock upset. 

"Well," May said. MJ cackled.

Ned said, "I completely understand, May, I'm pretty awesome."

"I understand, too," Peter said, leaning his head on May's shoulder. 

He looked over the pictures on his phone, picking out his favorites for his instagram. He also sent one to Tony. 

Someone brought out board games and MJ sprang up, saying, "Time to lose, losers." Somehow it came out nice enough none of the adults looked upset. 

"She is totally dominating," May said. 

"I wouldn't play against her," Ned said. 

Peter nodded and started to close his eyes. "I'm sleepy."

"Unnaturally sleepy?" Ned said. 

May whispered, "Do you feel like you're hibernating, Peter?"

"NO," he said, too loudly as he sat up. "No," he said at a normal level. "May, don't listen to Ned. He's full of crap."

May patted Peter's shoulder. "I know, sweetheart, I know."

Peter sat back and leaned on May's shoulder. "Today reminded me of a story my mom told me. I think she told me. There was a rabbi, and he had to do a thing and it was scary so he went to a special place in the forest and he lit a fire and he said a prayer and he did it."

Peter was warm and half mumbling. He said, "And then many years later, another rabbi had to do a thing, so he went to the special place but he didn't know how to light the fire, so he said the prayer, he hoped it would be enough and it was enough and he could do the thing. Then another many years later, another rabbi needed to do the thing. He knew the prayer but not the fire part and he knew it was in the forest but not the right place. But he said the prayer and hoped it was enough. And it was. But after a while, no one remembered the prayer either. But they knew the story and they could tell the story and that was enough to do the thing. In conclusion, yay stories!"

Ned said, "That was a famous story by Baal Shem Tov, Peter. In case you didn't know."

"I did," Peter said. "Thank you, Ned." 

"Well, I liked it," May said. She hugged him extra hard."You were thinking of that because we were in the forest, right?"

"It just reminded me of how I pictured the forest when my mom told the story." He said it very quietly. He was feeling like the definition of cozy. This was a great trip.


End file.
